Articles of the year 2014
Published on August 15th 2014
The clash between the forces of Imran and the Sharifs is now building up into series of climaxes. With each round of skirmishes the toll in bodies and injured is being tallied and recorded, for use against the losers, whenever the shootings stop.
At this point in time, the Imran team is ahead on points, by virtue of the incompetence displayed by the Sharif cohorts. The entire facade of ten years of the Shabaz Sharif competence, and myth of able administration has just evaporated in the first true test of an opposition by Imran and Qadri– now combining forces. The Good Administrator myth so carefully structured, and disseminated, with the ‘shining Punjab result ‘ held up as an indicator of what would be the ‘future’ for the rest of Pakistan if the Sharif formula was followed. Now lies in tatters. Along with their dream of leading a shining Pakistan. They will be lucky if they escape with long prison sentences.
The incompetence of the Sharif government lies exposed in Lahore-their avowed stronghold, and will now be impossible to retrieve. The damage to their political machine has been done, showing that in effect it was always a game of polite, friendly oppositions carving up the country into areas of influence, and the agreement to stay in your own designated area. For instance in Sind over the last year the PMLN was deliberately stifled and any attempt to bring about a meaningful overhaul was quickly thwarted. The Province of Sind was discarded and the corruption spiralled upward, with no eyebrows being raised. The understanding was being honoured.
This understanding is now being challenged in earnest, for the first time by Imran and Qadri. It is also obvious that the understanding saw both parties through to a comfortable result–achieved by some major rigging. Till the Imran challenge and the huge turnouts for the PTI which gave a glimpse of the scale of the rigging. And the ‘understanding’ between Zardari and Nawaz. All opposition to Zardari was shrugged aside, and the governance of Sind left solely to the Cronys like Tapi. Even the PMLF after a promising start was relegated to a bit part, with Imtiaz Shaikh given an office in the PM’s secretariat , and the rest to Zardari, Sind was done. However the extent of the rigging of the elections had now incensed the followers of Imran, into agitations. When Qadri decided to step in, it became a game changer, and the whole political world took notice.
The other major factor was the governing style of Nawaz Sharif. Ignoring the Assembly, and the Senate, and leaving many Ministries without Ministers, worse many important departments without heads. These were schoolboy mistakes, and invited criticism, which quickly blossomed into a movement. It is no wonder that the Imran Khan movement has caught hold. The myth of the Sharif management lies shattered, and Punjabis true to their métier–love an underdog. They see Imran as a winner, deprived of his right, and honest at that. With the crowd management of Qadri, the winning formula is set. Not to be forgotten is the accountability of the Zardari/Sharif on the cards, the future of Pakistan is definitely brighter than it was a month ago.